Sufjan Stevens

The Age of Adz begins like any other Sufjan Stevens album, with Stevens singing in his angelic whisper over some intricately plucked guitars. Then the second song comes in with a flurry of farting synths and under- water-exploding drum machines; by the album's 25-minute finale, Stevens is singing in warbling Auto-Tune. There's plenty of acoustic instrumentation and choral arrangements and catchy melodies amid all the whizzing gadgetry—and Stevens's interest in electronics goes back to his Enjoy Your Rabbitdays—but Adz might still surprise fans of his more traditional orchestral pop. How the hell they'll reproduce these songs live is anyone's guess. (Paramount, 911 Pine St, 877-784-4849, 8 pm, $22–$32, all ages)